About Pinecone
Pinecone is the leading vector database for building accurate and performant AI applications at scale in production. Pinecone's mission is to make AI knowledgeable. More than 9000 customers across various industries have shipped AI applications faster and more confidently with Pinecone's developer-friendly technology. Pinecone is based in New York and raised $138M in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, ICONIQ, Menlo Ventures, and Wing Venture Capital.
About The Team and The Role
This is a high-impact leadership role at the center of Pinecone’s commercial growth engine.
As Inside Sales Manager, you will lead a combined team of Commercial Account Executives and BDRs, responsible for generating and closing revenue across startups and mid-market accounts — while partnering with enterprise AEs on expansion opportunities. Your team will engage technical buyers (CTOs, VP Engineering, AI Platform leaders, ML engineers) in meaningful conversations about production AI challenges.
This is not traditional SaaS selling. Our buyers are technical, skeptical, and outcome-driven. Success requires a leader who can build a team that speaks credibly about AI infrastructure, understands developer personas, and drives thoughtful outbound and consultative sales — not transactional volume.
You will own pipeline generation, revenue conversion, and the development of repeatable playbooks for the commercial segment.
Responsibilities
Build & Lead the Commercial Inside Sales Team
Hire, onboard, and develop high-caliber Commercial AEs and BDRs
Coach reps on running credible discovery with engineering leaders and AI teams
Elevate technical fluency across the team (LLMs, vector search, RAG, production AI workflows)
Develop reps across full-cycle sales fundamentals: qualification, multi-threading, objection handling, and expansion
Build a culture of accountability, curiosity, craftsmanship, and ownership
Own Commercial Pipeline & Revenue
Own pipeline creation and revenue targets for the commercial segment
Ensure predictable top-of-funnel generation through outbound and PLG conversion
Drive tight alignment between BDR pipeline creation and AE conversion
Improve velocity from first meeting to close
Identify expansion signals within startup and mid-market accounts
Outbound & PLG Strategy
Design outbound strategy for AI-native startups and traditional companies adopting AI
Partner with marketing on high-intent inbound (developer signups, PQLs, content engagement)
Create structured PQL follow-up motions that convert usage into revenue
Continuously refine messaging to resonate with AI builders and platform teams
Balance thoughtful outbound with developer-led inbound engagement
Process, Metrics & Infrastructure
Define and manage KPIs across meetings, SALs, SQLs, pipeline coverage, close rate, and ACV
Improve lead routing, territory design, and commercial segmentation
Implement structured call reviews and coaching cadences
Partner with RevOps to optimize Salesforce, sequencing tools, enrichment, and intent data
Build forecasting discipline and pipeline hygiene
Cross-Functional Alignment
Partner closely with Enterprise AEs to surface expansion paths
Provide structured feedback to Marketing on ICP, vertical traction, and messaging resonance
Collaborate with Product and Developer Relations to ensure strong PLG-to-sales motion
Act as the voice of the commercial segment in GTM planning
Requirements
5+ years in B2B SaaS sales; 2+ years managing SDR, BDR, or Commercial AE teams
Experience selling technical products (infrastructure, data platforms, developer tools, DevOps, AI/ML)
Demonstrated success leading both pipeline creation and revenue ownership
Strong understanding of selling into engineering and AI platform teams
Proven track record of building predictable commercial revenue in a high-growth environment
Deep comfort operating in a data-driven sales culture
Experience working in product-led growth (PLG) environments is a strong plus
Perks & Benefits
Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, vision, and mental health resources
401(k) Plan
Equity award
Flexible time off
Paid parental leave
Annual Company Retreat
WFH Equipment Stipend
All qualified applicants will receive considerations for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, veteran status, and any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws.
Top Skills
What We Do
Pinecone stands as a leader in the AI industry, dedicated to transforming artificial intelligence and tackling its most pressing challenges head-on. Our mission revolves around augmenting the capabilities of AI models, addressing the issue of AI hallucinations, and ensuring the delivery of accurate and dependable results. Pinecone specializes in vector database technology, a groundbreaking innovation that has reshaped data management for AI applications. Our vector database solutions are designed to help eliminate AI hallucinations, making AI outputs reliable and trustworthy. Moreover, Pinecone's technology streamlines data retrieval, minimizes memory overhead, and optimizes AI operations, crucial for the growing demand for Generative AI (GenAI). With strategic partnerships with industry giants like OpenAI, Google Cloud Platform, AWS, and others, Pinecone plays a central role in advancing the AI landscape. Beyond technology, we foster knowledge sharing through events and educational initiatives, empowering AI engineers and leaders with actionable insights. Pinecone is not just transforming AI; we are helping pave the way for a more dependable and scalable AI future.
Why Work With Us
At Pinecone, our culture emphasizes camaraderie, collaboration, and inclusivity. Deeply rooted in our DNA, we prioritize these values. In the dynamic ML/AI realm, we strive for top engineering solutions, while ensuring a shift to AI that aligns with genuine human values.
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